Oct 5th, 2012

The Star of the East is 95-carat stone once owned by Evalyn Walsh McLean of Washington DC, who also owned the Hope Diamond.

The Star of the East remained in Evalyn Walsh McLean’s ownership for 40 years or so. After her death, Harry Winston bought both diamonds and in 1951 he sold the Star of the East and a fancy colored oval cut diamond to King Farouk of Egypt. By the time of the King’s overthrow

in 1952, Mr. Winston had still not received payment for the two gems, but three years later an Egyptian government legal board entrusted with the disposal of the former royal assets, ruled in his favor. Nevertheless, several years of litigation were needed before he was able to reclaim the Star of the East from a safe-deposit box in Switzerland.In 1969 Harry Winston sold the Star of the East, the new owner asking him to remount the gem as a pendant to a V-shaped diamond necklace to which two flawless matching pear shapes could be attahced. The Star of the East was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, in 1978, at a reception marking the 50th anniversary of Harry Winston Inc.Six years later the diamond came back into the ownership of Harry Winston Inc.